SANTA CRUZ >> As the first person in her family to graduate high school and a Latina woman studying to become a research scientist, UC Santa Cruz undergrad Stefanie Brizuela is used to defying odds and expectations. But that doesn’t make earning a prestigious research scholarship from the National Institute of health any less sweet.

The 20-year-old biomolecular engineering major from Bakersfield, found out Aug. 2 she is among the nation’s few young researchers selected for the National Institute of Health Undergraduate Scholarship Program. She said she hopes her newest accomplishment can serve as an example to younger students from disadvantaged backgrounds who aspire to become scientists.

“For me it’s a success that the community can take part in, that underrepresented minorities can take part in.” Brizuela said. “It’s something I can bring back to my community and share my path.”

Hundreds apply each year to the selective National Institute of Health Undergraduate Scholarship Program, and only a dozen or so students are chosen following a rigorous review. Recipients receive up to $20,000 in scholarship funds per year, with the opportunity to extend to up to four years. Recipients are also flown out to the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland, for a summer-long research training alongside an NIH scientist. After graduating, recipients are guaranteed at least one year of employment with NIH.

It is a rare and valuable opportunity for any aspiring researcher, said Zia Isola, who directs the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute Office of Diversity Programs.

“It’s really incredible not only in terms of the training she is going to get, but the networking she’ll be able to do,” Isola said. “She’s actually entering the community of scientists on a national level.”

UNEXPECTED PATH

Brizuela had set her sights on studying mathematics from an early age, but things changed when her twin sister was diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation, a rare condition affecting the circulatory system.

“My junior year of high school me and my sister were doing homework and she collapsed on the floor,” Brizuela said.

After seeing her sister airlifted to a hospital where doctors struggled to determine what was wrong, Brizuela said she determined to try to understand the condition on her own.

She said she spent two years sifting through medical journals, ultimately deciding to pursue research in bioengineering to further understand the condition.

“That as a high school student she started reading medical journals to try to understand this disease better, then acted as translator for her parents, that just says so much about her character,” Isola said.

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SECOND CHANCE

Brizuela applied for the same scholarship last year, she said, but was rejected after being selected as semi-finalist.

“I didn’t let that get the best of me,” Brizuela said. “I grew up wanting to prove people wrong.”

She said she asked NIH for feedback about her application but received no response, so she decided to put her research skills to use finding out what the institute looked for in its candidates. Brizuela said she found her initial application was likely too research oriented and lacked a personal element, something she was sure to change for this year’s application.

“It’s not about being the smartest person,” Brizuela said. “It’s about the work you’re willing to put in.”